Event Geek

More than a decade ago, Nokia, set the trend that would change the way Filipinos get in touch. Through its cutting-edge mobile phones, it popularized the short messaging system (SMS) or texting that paved the way for Filipinos to discover instant and real-time communication that revolutionized the communication habits of Filipinos and putting the Philippines on the map as the texting capital of the world.

This year, Nokia has again blazed the trail in the mobile phone category. From introducing texting that allowed Filipinos across all market segments to experience the convenience of communicating anywhere in the world, Nokia is now elevating communication by allowing more and more consumers to share what they feel instantly with all their contacts through social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, using any of its wide range of handsets – from high-end smartphones to affordable internet-capable mobile units.

Since Nokia started in the business, the company has committed itself to leading the industry bycreating innovation in mobile phone technology. The familiar Symbian operating system has been upgraded and combined with engaging services like Nokia Messaging and Ovi Store that keep pace with today’s lifestyle, making it possible for consumers to enjoy and enhance the way they communicate.

“When we launched Nokia Messaging with the Nokia C3 for example, we saw the eagerness and excitement of Filipinos to go beyond SMS and into the realm of social networks, chat and email at that affordable pricepoint. The device itself was half the story, the other half was the services and operator plan that went with it. The same thing happened with our Ovi Store downloads. Since we started to engage more developers to create locally relevant apps, we’ve seen more frequent visits and downloads from the Ovi Store," said Benoit Nalin, General Manager of Nokia Philippines.

Undisputed leader in high-end category

Nokia changed the game in the high-end category when it recently introduced the highly anticipated Nokia N8, which was dubbed the world’s best entertainment smartphone. With the Nokia N8, smartphone users were introduced to a new way of expressing themselves with features that shattered all expectations, giving users the chance to capture pictures or videos in HD quality. The entry of the Nokia N8 model helped Nokia regain its mobile leadership amidst strong competition from widely raved about brands.

Nokia aggressively complemented the launch of its innovative smartphone handset with a marketing and advertising campaign that was nothing short of genius. Shared Nalin: “Staying true to being an innovator, Nokia highlighted the launch of the Nokia N8 smartphone with a fresh, intriguing marketing and advertising concept that we now know as the Pier Roxas story. This campaign provided the perfect platform to incite curiosity among customers while highlighting the best features of the Nokia N8 and harping on its credibility as the best entertainment smartphone.”

Innovating the mid-range segment

Nokia has always been known as a pioneer in mobile phone technologies and this year, the company proved that it remains on top of the innovations game. It recently launched its Touch and Type handsets – the X3-02 and C3-01 models – which offered customers the unique combination of a touchscreen and traditional 12-button phone keypad.

“Like what we’ve said before, innovation is not just a high-end game. Introducing the Touch and Type handsets has given Nokia the chance to bring the best of both worlds in one device to customers at an affordable price,” explained Nalin.

The positive market response to the launch of the Touch and Type devices, added Nalin, has proven that users are open and responsive to product innovation despite the bandwagon of feature-rich and price-reduced touch screen devices in the market today.

Web-ready handsets that boost mobile lifestyle of every Pinoy

The year also saw Nokia sustaining its lead in the affordable mobile phone segment. Nalin revealed that despite a deluge in cheap China-made brands, Nokia continued to gain a stronghold in this category by introducing reasonably priced, Internet-capable handsets while building on the company’s equity of reliability and user-friendliness.

An example of which is the now hugely popular Nokia C3, which has revolutionized the mobile habits of Pinoy by allowing them to easily communicate with their family and friends online. This handset makes messaging easier for customers by enabling them to connect to the Internet faster through a quick and reliable Wi-Fi connection, which means staying in touch instantly with friends through their Facebook or Twitter sites. It also allows them to keep in touch easily through email, IM or Conversational SMS, in easy-to-use QWERTY keyboard.

Complementing this Web-ready handset is Nokia’s partnership with leading network provider Smart Communications to introduce customers to easy and affordable messaging. Added Nalin: “Because of the affordability of the Nokia C3, Filipinos can now get in touch with their family and friends any time of the day through their social networking sites for as low as P20 a day.”

Ready to introduce more breakthroughs

Next year, Nokia will be stepping up its game even more to continue on with its commitment of revolutionizing communication. More than the products by themselves, Nokia will push its services so that almost any Juan dela Cruz may experience social networking, chatting and email on their mobile and make those services work for them.

The company likewise aims to capitalize on the growing popularity of its Ovi Store, which now gets 3.5 million downloads per day worldwide. Locally, Nokia is eyeing to achieve 1 million downloads per month and if all goes as planned the local developer community will grow three-fold.

The tagline ‘Connecting People’ now becomes ‘Connecting people to what matters most to them’. And Nokia will continue to remain more relevant to Filipinos than ever before.

About Nokia


At Nokia, we are committed to connecting people. We combine advanced technology with personalized services that enable people to stay close to what matters to them. Every day, more than 1.3 billion people connect to one another with a Nokia device – from mobile phones to advanced smartphones and high-performance mobile computers. Today, Nokia is integrating its devices with innovative services through Ovi (www.ovi.com), including music, maps, apps, email and more. Nokia's NAVTEQ is a leader in comprehensive digital mapping and navigation services, while Nokia Siemens Networks provides equipment, services and solutions for communications networks globally.